US Open 2018: Johanna Konta confident of being fully fit for first round clash

The British number one was forced to withdraw ahead of a scheduled second-round match at the Connecticut Open this week after coming down with a flu-type virus

Eleanor Crooks
Sunday 26 August 2018 10:25 BST
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Konta is scheduled to play Caroline Garcia in the first round
Konta is scheduled to play Caroline Garcia in the first round (Getty)

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Johanna Konta is confident of fully recovering from illness in time for her first-round clash with Caroline Garcia at the US Open on Tuesday.

The British number one was forced to withdraw ahead of a scheduled second-round match at the Connecticut Open this week after coming down with a flu-type virus.

Konta is still not back to full health but has been able to leave her sick bed and get out on court at Flushing Meadows.

She said: "As you can probably hear I'm bunged up but loads better, I started hitting yesterday so it's good.

"I got sick on the day I woke up for the first round in New Haven, and I got through that day but then it just progressively got worse. I had a terrible night that night and the next day I could hardly move so I was like, 'I don't think I could physically go out and play a match'.

"So that's why I took the decision to not play because I couldn't physically play and since then I've been looking to feel better. There's some sort of virus, I had really bad sinuses and right ear. I gave it to my coach so Michael (Joyce) and I were down but we are both getting back up."

Konta is unseeded in New York
Konta is unseeded in New York (Reuters)

Konta comes into the tournament unseeded after her slide to 46 in the rankings and has paid the price by drawing sixth seed Garcia.

The good news for the British number one is she has a 3-2 winning record against her French opponent, most recently coming through a three-set struggle at Wimbledon last summer, while her shaky form has picked up on the North American hard courts.

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